Reputation Risk Management: Understanding loss of reputation as a risk

The crisis 2007-2008 has highlighted the need for an integrated approach to risk management in organizations, as they have all come to recognize. New risks emerge with the changing business environment. The advance of technology, the accelerating pace of business, globalization, increasing financial sophistication and the uncertainty of potential terrorist activity contribute to a growing number and complexity of risk (Olson and Olson, 2008). Cash shortage could be a sizeable problem for a company, the loss of a company¿s good reputation could lead to the collapse of the company. Moreover, differentiation of products and services has highlighted those intangible assets such as reputation, which could offer a competitive advantage for a company (Fuziah et all, 2006). However, at the same time, companies¿ activities could negatively affect their reputation (ibid). As a result, Bauhofer (2004) states Reputation as ¿the strategic asset in the competition of the 21st century¿. Despite the fact that Reputational Risk Management (RRM) is topical, it is still unknown.